Atlanta attorney Claud “Tex” McIver told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution today that he accidentally shot and killed his wife as they rode in their SUV near Piedmont Park last week.
Asked by a reporter if he purposely shot Diane McIver, Tex McIver responded, “I absolutely did not. She was my life partner. My life as I know it is ruined because of this accident.”
His exclusive phone interview with the AJC marked his first public comments since the shooting on Sept. 25.
Atlanta Police have said very little about the case. Their investigation is ongoing.
McIver’s attorney, Stephen Maples, said that the couple were driving home to Buckhead from their other home in Putnam County when they pulled off I-85 onto Edgewood Ave. due to traffic. McIver was in the back seat when he awoke at that time, saw some people milling about and asked his wife in the front seat to pull out the gun from the center console.
Soon after he fell back to sleep, the gun in a plastic bag in his lap
He was jarred awake near Piedmont Park, Maples said.
McIver said, “I was suddenly awoken. I lurched and the gun fired.”
He added, “I must have forgotten it was in my lap. I saw a flash.”
He said it was an accident and that he loved his wife.
“There’s nothing I want to do but join her,” he said.
The grief is overwhelming, he said.
“I’m down to crying 25 times a day,” he said. “If I’m not feeling guilty I’m feeling grief.”
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